Communicating marketing priorities in the Not-For-Profit sector: A content analysis of Australian state-museums’ annual reports

This paper analyses the marketing priorities evident in the annual reports of Australia’s six not-for-profit state-museums (who represent the largest and most influential not-for-profit heritage organisations in the country). The study provides insight into the marketing communication priorities in leading not-for-profit heritage organisations, and offers a finer-grained understanding of what is required for such organisations to effectively manage such priorities. Based on a content analysis of the annual reports, the paper proposes a Marketing Priorities Model for Not-for-Profit Organisations more generally. The Model reflects two important findings: firstly, that the communication of marketing strategies has emerged to play a central role in the annual reporting of the leading not-for-profit organisations in Australia; secondly, that there are several key facets of the organisation’s marketing strategies that must be communicated to internal and external stakeholder groups. The Model consequently provides a framework for not-for-profit organisations to adopt in order for them to effectively identify and communicate marketing practices to salient stakeholder groups.